Acetogenins: What are They?

Back in the 1980s, Dr. Jerry McLaughlin researched and found that the paw paw tree is a major source of acetogenins.

So what are acetogenins? (Besides a difficult name to pronounce.) And why do you need to know about them? We’re glad you asked, and before we get into what they are, we’re going to talk more about where they come from.

Paw Paw Tree

If paw paw sounds familiar to you, that’s probably because you heard it when you were a kid watching “The Jungle Book”. Baloo sings about picking a paw paw in “The Bare Necessities” song.

But the paw paw isn’t simply a fruit; it’s a fruit-producing tree, whose Latin name is Asimina triloba, that’s native to North America. Native Americans have used the fruit and leaves of this tree for food and medicine for centuries, and ancient farmers used paw paw as a natural pesticide.

It’s only been in the last few decades though that the rest of the world has starting reaping the various benefits of this tree. And we have Dr. Mclaughlin to thank for much of our knowledge about the health-benefitting Annonaceous acetogenins found within the paw paw tree.

Acetogenins

Acetogenins are natural and safe chemicals. They’re active compounds that affect the production of Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP) in the cell’s mitochondria. ATP is the main source of energy inside your body that keeps everything moving along. It’s the high-energy molecule that stores energy in your body and gives your cells the energy they need to function. Acetogenins selectively regulate ATP’s production in certain cells, and by doing so, can also help regulate the blood supply to them.

There are different types of acetogenins, as they vary from species to species of trees within the paw paw family, as well as in other kindred trees. And the various types are found in various parts of the paw paw tree. You can get them from the tree’s fruit, seeds, roots, bark tissues and twigs, with the latter being where the highest concentration of acetogenins is found.

Acetogenins are an active ingredient in our Paw Paw Cell-Reg, which selects certain cells inside your body and modulates their ATP production and blood supply to help improve your overall health.